MALAYSIA: Since its inauguration in October, 2014, the ‘Red and Green Academy’ has been working to spread Bangla language and culture among expatriate Bangladeshis in Malaysia.
The academy aims to make the children of Bangladeshi community able to read, write and speak smoothly in their mother-tongue.
Located in the heart of Malaysia capital city Kuala Lumpur, children are also taught Bangla culture and customs at the academy besides teaching the language.
Bangladesh-origin children, who are being grown up in Malaysia, usually talk in English, Malay and somewhat Bangla and eventually losing their interest to the mother-tongue.
Moreover, the academy wants to introduce Bangla culture and customs in the country as well as around the globe through teaching Bangladeshi children.
‘Red and Green Academy’ executive director (ED) Sara Tanvi revealed the details about how kids are getting familiar with Bangla culture at the academy.
“(We are) trying to uphold our culture abroad through enjoying Bangla culture and customs and celebrating different days including Independence Day, National Martyrs' Day, and Pahela Baishakh”.
“We want to let our children speaking in Bangla,” Sara added.
At the academy, students learn alphabets and methods to speak, read and write in Bangla. They are taught about the history of Bangladesh’s liberation war as well as general knowledge.
Besides, Arabic is also taught there. Even, educational activities are also run on holidays.
Sara told banglanews about her institution’s mission and vision.
“If children learn foreign languages here in Malaysia they will concentrate on it. So, they are likely to forget Bangla language and culture,” she said.
“They (kid) will not even have any affection to their country (Bangladesh),” Sara feared.
When Sara moved to Malaysia in 2010 with her family, no single institution was there to teach Bangla. Her father was a martyr during the Bangladesh war in 1971 and her mother also fought in the war.
Studied at Chittagong University, Sara is hailed from Dhaka. Later, she got married to Osman Gani Chowdhury of Chittagong. The couple has a daughter and a son.
Osman’s cooperation is important to her. Sara thinks herself lucky as her husband inspires and assists her like a friend all the time.
Mentioning Bangladeshi people, who sacrificed their lives for their mother-tongue, Sara said, “Children of that country will speak in other languages as they do not know how to speak in Bangla. It can’t happen.”
She further said, “People around the world observe the International Language Day every year (on February 21), paying tribute to Bangla language martyrs. For this reason, I have dared to setup the academy in my own expenditure.”
On October 18, 2014, the then Bangladesh High Commissioner in Malaysia AKM Atiqur Rahman inaugurated ‘Red and Green Academy’.
Mentioning her husband and daughter’s voluntarily work for the academy, Sara said, “We started the academy through signing an agreement with a local company. At present, students are being enrolled from Nursery to Class V”.
Sara has searched for students in every corner of Malaysia, spreading her working arena among all Bangladeshis, living there.
Besides this great works of teaching the mother-tongue, Sara is actively involved in different social activities, especially for spreading Bangla culture. Wherever there is a Bangla social function Sara will be there.
Upholding her commitment in materialize the dreams of the Bangladeshi expatriates, Sara said, “I will fulfill the expatriates’ dream. I don’t need any privilege in this regard.”
According to her, only institutional education will not be enough for a child, the culture of homeland also needs to be embraced.
Sara revealed that they have arranged cultural functions at the academy for two days a week considering everything in an effort to make children familiar with Bangla culture.
She opined that living abroad, growing up in foreign culture, it is difficult to practice own culture and customs. Especially, this is a big challenge to the people of new generations. When children are grown up they nearly forget and begin practicing foreign culture.
To Bangladeshi expatriates, Sara said that guardians will have to move forward first. They need to keep speaking Bangla with their kids.
The academy is just a small effort. It will come to a great success when Bangladeshi expatriates living in Malaysia will admit their children at this mother tongue–teaching institution willingly, she hopped.
According to the academy’s website, “The Red and Green is a project of CLC Language Center, Malaysia.”
BDST: 1452 HRS, APR 11, 2015
HB/RR
